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December 11, 2012 NEWS AND UPDATES Today: Twitter chat on Seasonal Affective Disorder
Today (Dec. 11) from 1-2 p.m., our own Dr. Melvin McInnis discusses Seasonal Affective Disorder, or “winter depression,” in a “tweet chat” with ABC News’ Dr. Richard Besser and several other experts on this topic. There are several ways to participate:
Everyone with an interest in this topic is invited to participate! Share your stories, ask questions, get answers! Bipolar disorder stem cell research featured in Free Press
According to new U-M-led neuroscience research, people with certain personality traits – such as resiliency, altruism, and straightforwardness – are more likely to find pain relief from a placebo (fake medicine). The results build on nearly a decade’s worth of work on the placebo effect by the team led by Depression Center member Jon-Kar Zubieta, M.D., Ph.D., the Phil Jenkins Professor of Depression in the U-M Department of Psychiatry, a professor in the Department of Radiology, and a member of the Molecular and Behavioral Neuroscience Institute. The team hopes to continue the research in people with depression, and to continue to explore how genetics as well as personality influence placebo response. The study has been covered in news outlets from the Los Angeles Times to Scientific American and The Scientist. Bringing depression awareness to college students
As part of the Depression Center’s Campus Mind Works student outreach initiative, and with support from the Steven M. Schwartzberg Memorial Fund, the Depression Center has partnered with the U-M Educational Theatre Company (UMetc) and University Housing to provide depression awareness/theatre presentations in U-M student residence halls during the 2012-2013 academic year. The presentations (7 have been conducted so far) include two mental health sketches performed by UMetc, and an informational presentation on:
In surveys administered before and after the presentations, student attendees report increased confidence in their ability to identify and refer someone who may be struggling with depression or anxiety, as well as increased willingness to seek help for themselves if they were experiencing a significant personal problem. Athletics and brain health
Kutcher also recently spoke to the Philadelphia Inquirer about the risk of concussion in sports. According to Kutcher, reported concussions among college athletes are up 30 percent since 2006, but few of these players have access to concussion experts to help manage their injuries. Promoting resiliency for military spouses during deployment
HomeFront Strong, a resiliency group for military spouses and partners, was featured in a Veterans Day article in the Michigan Daily. The program focuses on building social support and positive relationships, learning new approaches to self-care, connecting to resources, and promoting resiliency and positive coping. Learn more... Making connections across depression and bipolar research
An article in the A2 Journal provides a detailed profile of the WeSearchTogether.org project: this clearinghouse connects people living with depression or bipolar disorder to opportunities to participate in research across the country, and it also provides in-depth information about what it's like to participate in mental health studies. Visit the WeSearchTogether.org website to learn more... Patterns of social isolation worldwide
The fall issue of Medicine at Michigan featured the work of Alan Teo, M.D., a Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Clinical Scholar at U-M and a Depression Center member, who documented the first case of hikikomori (social withdrawal) in the Americas. Evidence shows that this form of extreme social isolation, which is most prevalent in Japan, is becoming a growing global concern. Read more... ER screening for eating disorders?
NOTICES
NEW GRANTS AND AWARDS Evaluating a video intervention to improve college student mental health
First M-Cubed awards include five Center members
EVENTS December 12: Depression & Bipolar Support Groups December 13: Growing through Grief workshop (ANN ARBOR) December 15: Military Family Support Forum (ANN ARBOR) December 20: Growing through Grief workshop (YPSILANTI) January 2: Family Education Workshop January 9: Depression & Bipolar Support Groups January 10: Growing through Grief workshop (ANN ARBOR) January 17: Growing through Grief workshop (YPSILANTI) January 23: Depression & Bipolar Support Groups January 25: Depression Center Colloquium February 6: Family Education Workshop February 13: Depression & Bipolar Support Groups February 14: Growing through Grief workshop (ANN ARBOR) February 21: Growing through Grief workshop (YPSILANTI) February 26-27: Depression on College Campuses Conference We welcome suggestions about the content and format of this publication – please email lhutchen@umich.edu with your feedback. |
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Sports, head injury, and depression were the topics of a 
Could the emergency room be a good place to spot undiagnosed eating disorders among teens, and help steer them to treatment? In a new study published in the November issue of the 
Daniel Eisenberg, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Health Management and Policy, has been awarded a 2012 Innovation Fund Award from the Depression Center to evaluate the effectiveness of the 
MCubed is a two-year seed-funding program designed to empower interdisciplinary teams of U-M faculty to pursue new initiatives with major societal impact. The first “cubing phase” of the program included five Depression Center members among the awarded projects, which require collaboration between three researchers from at least two different units:
